That Eye, the Sky

It follows the young protagonist Morton 'Ort' Flack, as he struggles to cope with life in a small country town after his father is paralysed in a serious car accident.

The story explores the theme of coming of age, and the complicated role religion plays in rural Australian life.

The Publishers Weekly said of the book, "The wrenching story... proves love like Ort's can prevail against hell itself"[1] The Los Angeles Times writes that, "The great strength of the novel is in the way the grotesque contrasts and parallels in human life are spread out, examined and accepted.

[5] Actor Peter Coyote stated: That Eye, the Sky was masterfully made into a really lovely film by the director, but the producer abandoned them during the final edit, which resulted in a studio hack taking it over, cutting 40 minutes out and making it completely impenetrable.

[6] The book was adapted by Richard Roxburgh and Justin Monjo into the play That Eye, The Sky (by Justin Monjo, Richard Roxburgh, and Tim Winton) produced by Burning House Theatre Company, at Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia (6 January – 6 February 1994) and Playhouse Theatre, Melbourne (13 – 15 October 1994).